Executive Order Relaxes Johnson Amendment Enforcement

“Despite the labeling, the portion of the executive order regarding the Johnson Amendment has nothing to do with free speech or freedom of religion,” said Tim Delaney, president and CEO of the National Council of Nonprofits. “And, contrary to President Trump’s assertions at the signing ceremony, the Johnson Amendment has nothing to do with talking about policy issues of the day – it only prevents 501(c)(3) organizations from partisan electioneering by participating in any political campaign on behalf of or in opposition to any candidate for public office,” he said.

“We are a country of laws, not a country that tolerates a wink and a nod from a partisan official telling the IRS to effectively ignore laws properly passed by Congress decades ago,” Delaney said. “The Constitution does not empower a president to line-item veto a few lines from longstanding law that his political allies find inconvenient,” he said.